2014 Ford Fiesta Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2014 Fiesta most often describe trouble with the automatic (DPS6) transmission: shuddering, delayed or failed engagement, and occasional loss of power while driving. Separately, a recurring set of complaints covers door latches that will not stay closed, and a smaller but consistent group describes engine overheating and coolant loss on 1.0L EcoBoost cars, often at higher mileage.

1. 1
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Automatic transmission shudder, slip and lost power

   • 286 complaints (57%)
   • median 30,750 mi at 2.8 yrs old (228 state mileage)
   • 8 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,100 (median of 12 quotes)
   • filed 2014–2026

   Complaints describe shuddering and jerking under acceleration, delayed or failed engagement from a stop, the engine revving without the car moving, and sometimes a sudden loss of motive power at speed. Several owners say dealers diagnosed a failing clutch or Transmission Control Module and quoted replacement, or reprogrammed the transmission and the symptom returned. Others note that extended warranty coverage applied but was refused for vehicles with a rebuilt title. Reported across a wide mileage range, from under 1,000 miles to well over 100,000, with many cases between roughly 30,000 and 80,000 miles.

   12 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test drive from a stop and on a mild incline, watching for shudder or hesitation, and ask for repair or warranty history on the clutch and TCM. Several service bulletins describe warranty extensions and TCM reprogramming for this transmission, so ask whether those were applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My transmission seems to be off, I'm having trouble when driving with it skipping its harder for it to accelerate when driving. You hear a few thuds and then my rpms will go up before the car will move. I don't really know the proper terms. It can happen anytime regardless if I'm at a stop light or just driving down the road. It has happened on multiple occasions. I've never had a transmission do this. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11321485, filed 2020-04, 117,000 miles

   “I've had this vehicle for 10 months. Lately I?ll be sitting at a stoplight or drive through and the light that says it's overheating comes on and if I don't turn it off it will shut off itself. The fluids are all full. Also, the transmission has been giving me trouble for a few months and it's getting worse. I'll press the gas slowly and the car jumps. I have 4 more years to pay on this car! I'm very disappointed on this car's performance”

   NHTSA complaint #11326638, filed 2020-05, 75,000 miles
2. 2
   Body and structure

   Door latches that will not stay closed

   • 107 complaints (21%)
   • median 45,275 mi at 4.0 yrs old (86 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $550 (median of 7 quotes)
   • filed 2015–2026

   Owners describe doors, usually rear or passenger side, that fail to latch or pop open, including while driving. Many learned that a latch recall covered other 2014 Fiestas but that their VIN was not included, or that parts were unavailable, and some say they held a door shut with rope or tape. The dealer response reported varies from a replacement latch to a statement that the recall had expired. Mostly reported between roughly 40,000 and 100,000 miles, with a few cases much earlier.

   Recall 20V331000Recall 20V177000Recall 17V210000Recall 15V2460001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Open and close each door, including the rears, and check that the latch catches firmly every time; ask whether recall 20S15 latch work was completed on this VIN.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My door all of sudden open when I was driving on the street while having my daughter in the back street which scared me. Thinking it was my door who open the door but I have the child safety on. But after pulling to the side I realize that's not problem. It was my door that does want to latch anymore .”

   NHTSA complaint #11316643, filed 2020-03, 70,000 miles

   “My recall states that Ford has not issued instructions to stop driving your vehicle under this safety. My back door latch opened while driving which makes the car undrivable and needing a tow, possibly causing an accident. I had a ptsd response to the incident and had to go to the doctor because of the stress induced on my body. I also required medical massages. My front door hinge also was about to break the service dept informed me as well which is not on this recall. Other owners may not be so lucky.”

   NHTSA complaint #11365680, filed 2020-10, 50,000 miles
3. 3
   Engine

   Engine overheating and coolant loss

   • 51 complaints (10%)
   • median 68,240 mi at 5.8 yrs old (44 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2014–2025

   Complaints describe overheating warnings, coolant that disappears without an obvious leak, temperature gauges that move up and down, and in some cases a blown head gasket or engine damage. Owners frequently tie the symptom to the 1.6L GTDI cooling recall and note that their VIN was not included; one reported a fire from under the hood after overheating. Service information also notes coolant consumption and white smoke on 1.0L EcoBoost cars. Mostly reported between about 45,000 and 130,000 miles, often after repeat cooling-system repairs.

   Recall 17V2090001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Check coolant level and look for residue around hoses, the degas bottle and the head gasket area, and ask whether cooling-system work was ever done. A service bulletin describes an extended coolant pressure test for 1.0L cars with coolant loss.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My vehicle, after less than 75k miles began to have overheating problems. I had various parts replaced until finally it was determined that the head gasket had blown on it. After researching forums and sites where other owners of the same vehicle or vehicles with the same type of engine, were experiencing issues much like mine. The engine head it made of aluminium and the engine block is made of cat iron. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11352332, filed 2020-08, 73,000 miles

   “A recall about the cooling system not working properly was issued for cars similar to this one but not specifically. I am now having this problem even though it isn't showing up on the active recall list for my vehicle. This is a danger to me and my family and I cant get it looked at because the recall isn't on this car. It is happening to it though and was reported on 2014 Ford fiestas. Don't know why mine isn't listed. It overheats when I am idle but not in motion. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11329386, filed 2020-06, 130,000 miles
4. 4
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Clutch pedal sticking to the floor

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners of manual-transmission cars describe the clutch pedal going to the floor and staying there, sometimes requiring the driver to pull it back up by hand, along with clutch slip and difficulty shifting. One owner reported the problem returned within a few thousand miles after repair, and pointed to the clutch slave cylinder. Reported around 55,000 to 66,000 miles in the sampled complaints.

   What to check: On a manual car, press the clutch repeatedly and check that it returns fully each time, and ask whether the slave cylinder or clutch hydraulics have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving on a onramp I shifted from 3rd to 4th gear and the clutch pedal was then stuck to the floor and did not come back up, I had to manually pull it back up. While driving down city street I shifted from 2nd to 3rd and the clutch pedal once again stuck to the floor and had to be manually pulled up. All fluids are topped off and not above the maximum line.”

   NHTSA complaint #11350892, filed 2020-08, 55,000 miles

   “Clutch pedal won't raise. At rest when pushing in the pedal it goes to the floor and will only raise about an inch. When disengaging, the clutch slips. Appears to be a failure of the clutch slave cylinder. This occured at about 66,000 miles. I had it repaired and after fewer than 5000 miles it's happened again.”

   NHTSA complaint #11397829, filed 2021-02, 66,000 miles
5. 5
   Other or unknown

   Dashboard clicking from the blend door actuator

   • 40 complaints (8%)
   • median 50,000 mi at 4.5 yrs old (34 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2014–2026

   Complaints describe a random clicking or tapping from inside the dashboard shortly after start-up or while adjusting air flow, which owners identify as the HVAC blend door actuator. Owners describe it as a nuisance repair that tends to appear well before 100,000 miles. Reported around 70,000 to 80,000 miles in the sampled complaints.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: With the engine running, cycle the air distribution and temperature controls and listen for clicking behind the dash on the driver's side; a service bulletin describes this actuator noise on 2014-2018 Fiestas.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My radio started acting strangely about 3 months ago. When the radio was on there was irregular squealing coming from it. When it first started, the squealing was only when the radio was on and I was driving the car. Later, the squealing also started to include loud popping noises, very much like an old stereo speaker losing its wire connection. The loud popping was very inconsistent . It then started happening every time I was in the car. It didn't matter if the radio was on or not. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11297012, filed 2020-01, 62,000 miles

   “Clicking sound just randomly started from inside the dashboard,within few seconds of starting the engine. A quick youtube search came back with HVAC blend door motor as the culprit. Seems like a common issue but a huge nuisance as these small parts starts randomly wearing out in less than 100k miles / within 6 years.”

   NHTSA complaint #11341749, filed 2020-07, 75,000 miles

Buying note. The automatic cars deserve the most attention: drive one at low speed and from a stop before buying, and ask for the clutch and TCM service history. Also verify that the door-latch recall work was actually completed on the specific VIN, since many owners report their car fell outside the covered build range.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.